Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published July 2, 2007 Greg Sonnier Era At Windsor Court Grill Room Begins Chef Greg Sonnier, who lost a frustrating battle with a handful of neighbors when he attempted to reopen his superb Gabrielle restaurant Uptown, took over Monday, July 2, as chef of the Windsor Court Grill Room. This is very good news all around. First, it will bring Sonnier's exciting Creole cuisine back to New Orleans diners, who have lived without since Greg and his wife Mary decided not to rebuild their original restaurant on Esplanade Avenue after it was heavily damaged by the storm. It also brings a serious chef to the Windsor Court, which has limped along without one for most of the time since the hurricane. The hotel has a long history, since it opened, of having world-class chefs at the helm of its flagship restaurant, the Grill Room. For reasons that have not been completely clear, that legacy did not continue post-K. Until now. Sonnier will be the first New Orleans chef to run the Grill Room. That alone will make his hegemony there different from those of previous Windsor Court chefs, who purveyed a world cuisine rather than work within the local one. Sonnier's position will differ from that of his predecessors. All of those served as executive chef of the hotel, handling not just the food in the Grill Room, but also all the banquets, room service, and everything else. Sonnier will be able to concentrate on the Grill Room. My usual advice on events like this remains: don't run into the place in the first week (or months, for that matter) that Sonnier is in the house. Even the best chefs need to settle in. But congratulations are in order both for Sonnier and the Windsor Court. I love this idea. He's starting out with a bang--literally. On the Fourth of July, Greg is serving a three-course dinner for $48 from five till eight. Afterwards, diners can go to the twenty-third-floor Chinoiserie ballroom to watch the fireworks on the river from a superb vantage point, just a few blocks away. Here's the menu: Windsor Court Salad -or- Smoked Rooster Gumbo With crackling popcorn rice ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Slow Roasted Duck With exotic mushrooms, roasted peppers, and orange- sherry sauce over shoestring potatoes -or- Panneed Red Snapper With jambalaya risotto and crawfish brandy cream sauce ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stars and Stripes Shortcake Windsor Court Grill Room. 300 Gravier. 504-522-1994. © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com